National Pitha Festival in the city

To uphold our traditions, Jatiya Pitha Utshab Udjapan Parishad has organised an eight-day National Pitha Festival. The festival began on January 20 at the Coffee House premises of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) in Dhaka. It will continue till January 27.
The festival was inaugurated by State Minister for Cultural Affairs, Advocate Promod Mankin. Managing director of Bangladesh Film Development Corporation, M. Hamid, presided over the event. Liaquat Ali Lucky, director general of BSA; Golam Kuddus, vice president of Sammilita Sangskritik Jote; Jhuna Chowdury, general secretary of Bangladesh Group Theatre Federation and cultural personalities -- Ali Reza, Shahidullah Faraizi, Ataur Rahman, among others, spoke on the occasion.
The speakers highly emphasised on the festival as it has been playing a significant role in conserving our rich culture and popularising the rural tradition of pitha (rice cakes) among the urbanites. Through the event the organiser hopes to remind the city dwellers of our roots.
The organiser has been holding the festival since 2008. This year's festival features over 40 stalls offering various kinds of traditional pitha. About 170 kinds of pitha like 'patisapta', 'dim pitha', 'nakshi pitha', 'puli pitha', 'biscuit pitha', 'teler pitha', 'bhapha pitha', 'dudhpuli', 'pakon pitha', 'kuli pitha', 'tal pitha' and more are on display at the event.
Everyday the festival also features baul and folk songs, poetry recitation and dance performance. The festival will also hold a competition in which best five stalls will receive awards.